We see Job at a very low point in his life today. He is experiencing the crushing weight of God's Law. He has suffered loss, serious loss, and has been told by Eliphaz that he is harboring sin or is a fool. He has been presented with no relief but by the quality of his own life, his own repentance, his own obedience. He has already worked as hard as he can. He knows he cannot earn God's favor. Presented with no Gospel, he is left to work out his own salvation. This is a dreadful situation to be in. Job knows perfectly well that he cannot withstand these claims. His very existence is forfeit. His days are numbered and he has no definite hope in the future.
In this day and age the Church, at least in the West, seems plagued with two primary abuses in its teaching. Both of them rob people of true hope. There are some congregations where nothing but the Law is proclaimed. People are left needing to work out their salvation. They are true Christians if they believe and obey. A couple of years ago I almost caused an auto accident when driving past a local church with a sign that read, "Faith alone doesn't save, you have to obey God's commands." Yes, I was seriously tempted to call the pastor and explain the Gospel to him. If we think obedience is the Gospel we are condemning people. They will not be able to obey perfectly any more than Job is. The other primary abuse is when nothing but the Gospel is proclaimed. Without an awareness of God's demands we find nothing compelling about God's love in Christ. There is no place for repentance. There is no place for faith that changes our life. There is no reason for Christ to be crucified for sinners because sin really isn't a significant issue. This also robs people of their hope. They see there is nothing but Gospel so there is no compelling reason for them to cling to Christ in hope. Jesus becomes just another piece of window-dressing in a beautiful world.
Like Job, we need both the Law and the Gospel. May the Lord remind us of his demands and how his demands are met in Christ on a daily basis.
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